Record Details

NHER Number:

3272

Type of record:

Building

Name:

Sandringham House

Summary

The country retreat of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, members of the Royal family spend Christmas at Sandringham and make it their base until February each year. The estate was bought by the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, in 1862 from Charles Cowper. Of the 18th century and later house on the site, the Prince retained only the mid 19th century conservatory, incorporated as a billiard room, rebuilding the rest in a rather frenetic Jacobean style between 1867 and 1870. The house is of brick with stone dressings with many gables and two cupolas, one on a turret. A ballroom, in the same Jacobean style but more flamboyant, with a coved and stuccoed ceiling was added in 1883. The upper storeys were rebuilt after a fire in 1891 and a new storey added to the bowling alley. Large portions of the servants' quarters to the south were demolished in 1974. It is impossible to fully describe this impressive building in a short summary, particularly the splendid gardens and fascinating interiors. The gardens and the main ground floor rooms are open to the public when the Royal family is not in residence.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:

TF 6944 2874

Map Sheet:

TF62NE

Parish:

SANDRINGHAM, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

June 1977. Visited.On site of ?17th century mansion, first rebuilt in late 18th century: additions 1854 by Teulon; conservatory, later billiard room, still survives, together with one reset doorway. Present house 1867 to 70 by Humbert, in red brick Jacobean style, with bowling alley in carrstone. Ballroom added between 1881 and 4 by Edis: upper storeys rebuilt after a fire in 1892, and a new storey added to bowling alley. Large portions of servants' quarters to south demolished 1974. See official guide for full details. Iron cypher of Christian V of Denmark found under floorboards of furniture store; perhaps brought from Denmark by Queen Alexandra. Sandringham Estate Museum. E. Rose (NAU), 26 June 1977.

Building assessed by DoE as worthy to be listed grade II, but cannot be listed as property of Royal Family.See provisional list for full description.E. Rose (NAU), 19 July 1989.

Press cuttings (S1-S6) and photograph (S7) in file.

2008.Several rooms have been photographed for the public for the first time, including a dining room decorated in Turkish style and the library which was formerly a bowling alley. The photographs are to be published in Country Life magazine.See (S8) for further details. H. Hamilton (NLA), 12 June 2008.

August 2009. See (S9) for details of a Victorian photograph of the site.H. White, (NLA), 1 Spetember 2009

December 2009.See (S10) for aerial photographs of the house and estate.H. White, (NLA), 24 February 2010

Monument Types

GREAT HOUSE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

GREAT HOUSE (Post Medieval to Modern - 1867 AD to 2050 AD)

Associated Finds

HERALDIC DEVICE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

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Aerial Photograph: TF6928 X-Z.

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Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). 1999. TF 6928AJ - AK.

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Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2008. Royal retreat that was ahead of its time. 19 June.